H.E.A.R.T. Saga: The Children

by Linna Drehmel

  The three men got down on hands and knees. Each of them managed to pry up a board. “Let me look!” DraDonna said, pushing them out of the way. Getting close to the hole in the floor she called, “JorMelony!” but no one heard any response. As she looked down in the hole she told the others, “The space under the house is too small for a person, no matter how many floorboards are pulled up, but…” she stopped, reaching inside. “There’s something in here.”

  Her hand landed on cool stone and drew it up into the light. It was an oval shaped piece of HEART stone framed in metal.

  “Symon,” she said in awe. “What is this?”

  “I don’t know,” he answered her with awe in his own voice. He reached out, taking the stone from her. As soon as his hand closed around the stone it began to glow with a bright white light.

  They all gasped in surprise.

  DraDevon asked, “Why did it do that when you touched it?”

  “I don’t know,” Symon answered him simply. “This thing is very…very…” He struggled to find the right word, “…old… but I just don’t know where we are going to find JorMelony.”

  As soon as JorMelony’s name left his lips, blue lines began to form in angles and turns on the stone. There were blue circles dotting precise spots on blue lines and one circle that was red.

  “It looks like a map,” DraDevon said, looking over Symon’s shoulder at the stone. “I think that red circle is JorMelony. Do you know where that is, Symon?”

  He studied the stone for a moment. His eyes widened in surprise. He recognized the layout of the blue lines as the First Councilors community. “This is Jude’s office,” he said, pointing to the red circle.

  “I thought you said she wasn’t there,” JorRobert growled dangerously.

  “I said I didn’t see her in the office. I didn’t check the private rooms. I should have checked the private rooms!” he said, feeling the all too familiar burden of guilt.

  “Don’t beat yourself up over it. You didn’t know,” DraDevon said, trying to console him.

  “Let’s just get there,” DraDonna said urgently.

  All four of them stood quickly.

  Symon placed the odd mapstone in the pocket of his robe so they all could take hold of him for travel. He placed his hand on the HEART stone altar, and with just a thought they were all whisked away by the energy to the First Councilors office.

  “JORMELONY!” Both DraDonna and JorRobert yelled together as soon as the energy left them in the office. All four of them were quiet for a moment to listen, and then they all heard the faintest moan of pain.

  “She is in the private room,” DraDevon said in panic.

  Quicker than a flash of the HEART’s energy JorRobert rushed over to the door, kicking it down, sending splinters in all directions. “NO!” came his soul wrenching cry when he saw his wife lying face down on the floor with a small puddle of blood under her face.

  DraDonna flew across the office to the demolished door with Symon and DraDevon close behind, just in time to see JorRobert sobbing as he lifted his wife’s limp body into his arms.

  “SYMON, COME HERE QUICK!” DraDonna screamed. She scrambled over to her sister’s side, taking her limp hand. The pungent stench of burned flesh assaulted her nose. “Melony!” DraDonna sobbed as tears poured from her eyes, forgetting all she had been taught about how disrespectful it was to use someone’s childhood name without being given permission. “Melony, it’s your little Donna. What happened?” she asked JorMelony, trying not to sob.

  JorMelony’s eyes rolled in her head as she fought her way to consciousness. She managed to open her eyelids slightly, then coughs and gags, staining her lips with more blood. “The necklace became so hot! I tried to get it off, but it burned through my skin I…I couldn’t…” JorMelony’s rasping voice stopped as her small frame was wracked with a gasping coughing fit. She struggled for air but brought up more blood instead. The writhing and coughing fully revealed the extent of the horrifying injury to her neck. The skin had burned until the flesh all around the necklace had been charred black and sunken, embedding the hideous necklace in the flesh at her throat.

  Seeing this, Symon immediately began to channel as much of the positive energy as he could into her broken and burned body.

  “Don’t worry about me, little Donna, all is well… all is well,” her voice softly rasped. “Jor… Robert!” she gasped in pain, and exhaled a gurgle of blood.

  The four people that knelt next to her saw the light of JorMelony’s soul leave her eyes.

  Comfort

  30

  JorRobert sobbed. He knew everything that had made him good had been torn from him. He felt like his own soul had been ripped from his body and left with his wife’s soul.

  He stood with JorMelony’s body in his arms.

  DraDonna was not ready to let go of her older sister’s hand; she stood with him.

  He tenderly placed her body on the bed and DraDonna arranged her hands in a dignified pose on her stomach, as if still protecting the life inside of her that would never be. DraDonna then arranged the collar of JorMelony’s shirt to hide the heinous cause of her sister’s death.

  “JorRobert; Donna,” Symon addressed them, his voice thick with emotion as well as compassion. “Please let me help you with your sorrow. I don’t think that I can make this kind of pain go away. I don’t have that kind of power, but I can offer you the comfort and strength from the energy of the HEART our MOTHER.”

  JorRobert spun around with a wild look of madness in his eyes. “Our MOTHER?” he spat out bitterly. “How could a mother allow such horrible things to happen to a person as good and innocent as JorMelony?”

  “I don’t know why bad things happen to good people,” Symon said. “But what I do know is the HEART loves us all and feels sorrow when we hurt,” Symon reached out to the big man.

  “Don’t touch me, Ambassador! I… I don’t believe the HEART is real anymore! Why would I believe that you can offer me any… any help?”

  “Let Symon help you JorRobert,” DraDonna said, trying to control her own sobs.

  JorRobert turned his eyes accusingly on her. “You! This is all your fault. You have always been an energy mad freak. If it wasn’t for you and your crazy ideas, my wife and child would be alive!”

  DraDevon stepped forward, placing an arm protectively around his wife, “I can’t believe you’re trying to blame this on my wife! She just lost her sister!” DraDevon was beginning to get really angry, looking as if he was going to hit JorRobert. “All we want to do is help you. Even after all you did to hurt us yesterday.”

  “Don’t yell at me you freak! You tried to kill me with that drill thing!”

  Symon knew he needed to stop them fighting before there was another ugly tragedy in the room. He quickly channeled only positive energy down to both hands, stepped between the fighting men and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. DraDevon instantly relaxed and stopped fighting, but JorRobert slapped Symon’s hand away and screamed, “I told you not to touch me!” Then he stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

  The only sound in the sorrow-filled office for a few moments was that of DraDonna weeping in her husband’s arms.

  “Are you okay, Devon?” Symon asked with concern.

  “No,” DraDevon replied with a tear filled voice. “JorMelony was precious to all of us.”

  “Then, may I offer the two of you some strength and comfort? I have a feeling that things are going to get harder, and I know whatever happens, I will need the two of you to stand with me.”

  The grieving couple nodded sadly, and Symon gestured to the desk in the office. “I’m sorry I don’t have any place better to offer you to sit, but please sit and try to relax.” They sat, and he walked around behind the desk.

  He closed his eyes to concentrate on channeling the energy, being careful to only use the purest of positive energy. He then placed a hand on each of their heads and called them by name, channeling the energy i
nto his two friends once again. This time he was not healing their bodies so much as he was giving strength and comfort to their souls.

  When Symon lifted his hands off their heads, DraDonna was no longer sobbing. Even though she still felt the pain of great loss, DraDonna knew that she would be able to do all she had to do to protect the rest of the people that she loved.

  “Thank you Symon,” DraDevon said as he hopped off the desk. Then he cleared his throat. “I don’t want to rush anyone, but aren’t we running out of time?” He then looked at his wife and said, “You know, I think we’ve been saying that a lot lately.”

  “You’re right, Devon, we need to get moving,” Symon said. “I promised I would help you find your families and wake them if we need to.”

  “Then can we go find my family?” DraDevon asked. “I want see if my brother and his wife are okay. I’m also really worried about my parents. The HEART said they’re at the courtyard.” Anxiety and humiliation were creeping up on him.

  “I wouldn’t worry about your parents Devon. Fredrik is there and will care for them. He’s loyal and if he says he’s going to care for someone he does,” Symon said with a shrug. “Let’s check on your brother and his wife first.”

  They walked to the HEART stone altar. Symon placed his right hand on the stone as his friends took hold of him, and with just a thought from Symon, they left the place of so much pain and grief behind them.

  Appearing in the main living area of NulSam and NulJena’s home, the three friends saw everything was in order, only silent like everywhere else on board this odd planet-like ship.

  “I think the HEART said that they were in bed,” DraDonna reminded her husband. “Do you want us to come with you?”

  “I think it would be best if I went in there alone for now. I’ll let you know if anything is amiss.” DraDevon looked between their worried faces. “Besides I think that it would be a little disturbing for NulJena to wake up and find her HEARTbrother, his wife and the Ambassador all standing over her.”

  “Okay, don’t be long,” DraDonna said as she gently kissed her husband. “Symon,” she said, turning to him, “let’s have another look at that map stone again.”

  DraDevon walked quietly to the bedroom.

  He stood in the doorway. With relief he saw the HEART was right. His brother and his HEART sister were in bed, deeply asleep. DraDevon walked carefully over to his brother and firmly shook his shoulder. “Wake up, NulSam,” he said in a soft yet urgent voice. His brother didn’t even twitch.

  DraDevon wasn’t sure how to wake his brother, but he knew he wanted to do this on his own so he didn’t call for Symon; he didn’t want to stress NulJena by having too many people in the room. He thought for a second about how he could wake them. Symon would probably channel positive energy and use it to wake them.

  DraDevon thought maybe he could channel what energy he still had inside him and split it like he would for an arc weld, but tuck his negatively charged thumb into his hand and only use his positively charged finger to wake them. “It might not be as strong as what Symon can do but it just might be enough to wake you up,” he said to his sleeping brother.

  After having channeled and split the energy, DraDevon carefully drew the small spark of positive energy across his brother’s forehead.

  It had the desired effect.

  NulSam took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

  “DraDevon, what are you doing here?” he asked with a start.

  “NulSam, there is so much going on. It is too much for me to get into right now.”

  “But what…” NulSam started, but DraDevon stopped him.

  “You are just going to have to trust me when I say that something wonderful has happened to DraDonna and me.”

  “What happened?” NulSam asked, feeling a little scared of the answer.

  “We met the HEART, and we have bonded in friendship with the Ambassador.” DraDevon stopped for a moment, but his brother remained silent, so he went on. “We have learned that things aren’t quite what they seem in our world, but everything is going to be okay. The HEART is taking us home.”

  “You met the HEART?” NulSam asked in confusion. “We’re going home? You’re not making any sense.”

  “NulSam, you’re just going to have to trust me. But tell me something: how is your wife?”

  “Every day we that get closer to the birth, it’s harder for her; the babe still doesn’t move.” There was the sound of great worry in his voice.

  “This is what is so wonderful NulSam, The HEART is taking us someplace where your daughter, my niece will be born alive! I know that you don’t understand, but you will just have to trust me. After I go, and NulJena wakes, tell her about this. And just be ready.”

  “Aren’t you going to wake her like you woke me? Wait, how did you wake me?” NulSam asked curiously.

  DraDevon smiled a little at his brother. “A little trick I learned from my new friend. NulSam, I have to go now. The Ambassador is here with us and we have a lot to do and not much time.”

  NulSam looked closely at his brother, seeing pain and grief in his eyes. “What has happened DraDevon? I can tell you are in pain.”

  “Well… a lot of things, but the worst of it is…” He stopped, the pain of loss still fresh. “DraDonna’s sister was killed this morning and she was with child.”

  “DraDevon, I am so sorry!” NulSam said, reaching out to comfort his brother by taking his hand. “And you came to us because you worried for my wife and babe,” said NulSam, touched by his brother’s worry.

  DraDevon closed his eyes, accepting the comfort of his older brother for a moment. He remembered JorMelony’s last words to DraDonna. “All is well, NulSam, all is well,” DraDevon said, squeezing his brother’s hand.

  With one last look, he turned and walked out of the bedroom back into the living area.

  “Is everything okay?” DraDonna asked him, worried for her HEART sister.

  “Yeah, I think they will be alright. Have you two figured out the map stone yet?”

  “I think so,” Symon answered. “I think it reacts to the HEART stone that I have inside of me.”

  “When we were trying to figure it out,” DraDonna told him, “I saw where TynLexa and TynTomus are and I was thinking that we should go see if they are alright. They’re kind of far out where people don’t usually go, and I don’t think anyone else knows they’re out there.”

  “I don’t know, DraDonna, the two of them did try to kill us,” DraDevon said. “I thought you wanted to go see if your parents are alright.” He was a little skeptical of the new plan.

  “Already taken care of,” she answered. “We saw on the map stone that they’re in the courtyard. We even saw Fredrik check on them.”

  DraDevon thought quietly for a few moments. “You’re right. We should go check on TynLexa and TynTomus. I have a feeling they were under…” he stopped, looking sadly at Symon. “I’m sorry Symon, but I think they were under Jude’s control.”

  “It’s alright, Devon. You’re probably right,” he told him. “She’s been acting oddly for some time now. I would not be surprised to find out if something strange was controlling her.”

  “You have a point Symon,” DraDonna said. “We will have to try to figure this out, but for now we need to see if TynLexa and TynTomus are alright.”

  The three traveled by way of the energy to cabin number one, Ambassadors Mountain.

  Looking around the main living area, DraDevon said, “Someone was here.”

  “What makes you say that?” Symon asked with concern.

  “When we left this place, it was a bit of a mess. TynTomus attacked us and we messed things up quite a bit fending him off.”

  “Where do you think he is?” DraDonna asked.

  “Didn’t we hear TynLexa say that she was here, that she put him on the bed?” DraDevon told them.

  The trio walked quickly to the bedroom but stopped in the doorway when the familiar smell of burned flesh met them o
nce again. “Oh, no!” Symon moaned, rushing forward. “I didn’t know it was you! I should have known it was you and Lexa!” he cried.

  “Symon, what is…” DraDonna started.

  Symon interrupted her. “His soul is still near. I can feel his pain,” Symon said, a panicked sound in his voice. His hand was on his chest and tears were running down his face. Symon looked up to the ceiling and cried, “I’m so sorry that Jude did this to you! I didn’t know. I will make this right. I will take care of Lexa, I promise you!” He collapsed to his knees by the bed and sobbed.

  “Symon,” DraDonna asked gently. “What is it? Why did you use his childhood name?”

  “My Councilors and I grew up with the two of them. We were all friends. This is all my fault. I should have known Jude would use them to do her dirty work,” he said bitterly.

  DraDevon knelt down on the floor next to him. “I wish we could heal you the way you have healed us. The best I can offer is my words.” He tried to comfort his friend. “I think I understand things pretty well now. Whatever Jude did, whether it was right or not, she did it out of her love for you, and whatever TynTomus and TynLexa did they did it out friendship to her. None of that makes it alright, what they did, but I can understand it.”

  “Now I just heard you promise this man’s soul that you would take care of his wife. So you need to pull yourself together and help us find her,” DraDevon said, giving Symon a friendly slap on the back.

  “Thanks. You’re right; we have to find Lexa.” Symon got up off the floor, and without so much as a look back, he quickly walked to the altar with his two best friends at his heels.

  With a determined motion, Symon placed his hand on the HEART stone altar with DraDonna and DraDevon holding onto him. He focused his thoughts: “Cabin number two Second Councilors Lake.”

  The very moment the flash of the energy left them, Symon ran for the bedroom with DraDonna and DraDevon close at hand. DraDonna saw TynLexa lying on the bed in what appeared to be peaceful sleep, yet the burns around her neck were still visible.